Without Clay
by DaChickenyOne
Summary: RainWing venom's a brilliant thing, but it always bugged me how Glory figured it out. She just... knew? Slacking, Tui, slacking. So in this story, Glory's not going to 'magically know', and instead find out by other, more believable means. Oh... wait... no! Clay! I didn't mean to kill you! Come baaaaaaaaack! Ugh. *Turns to audience* He's dead. AU from Clay's arena fight! Cleril-y.


WITHOUT CLAY

 **Disclaimer: I make no claim to ownership of anything Wings of Fire related (aside from my copies of the books).**

CHAPTER 1

TSUNAMI

'Clay! No!'

But there was nothing Tsunami could do. She could only watch as one of her oldest friends' head was ripped off by the brutish IceWing. Around her, dragons were fighting with guards after she had viciously pulled them off their platforms, but Tsunami was oblivious, completely dead to the world.

Until, flying towards the mess of wires, came an odd, copper-coloured dragon. Immediately, the screaming intensified to unimaginable levels. Tsunami wasn't sure why for a second, but then she remembered the SkyWing's batch against the SandWing, from earlier, and how the poor dragon had been burnt alive. Tsunami's first thought, like all the dragons around her, was to flee, but it soon became apparent that that wasn't an option. Wires were in a tangled mess all over the place. But Tsunami knew that she had to do something.

A memory popped up. This dragon... this dragon had talked to Clay (before he died), giving him meat and then having a conversation with Starflight. Maybe, just maybe, she could be reasoned with. And surely, her super-hot fire could melt the chains.

And so it was with this thought process that the SeaWing dragonet of the prophecy flew out to meet the deadliest dragon in Pyrrhia.

Of course, she didn't actually fly out. It was more like frantically trying to stay in the same position while the other dragons that were tethered to her pulled her uncoordinatedly away in the other direction.

But the firescales was unattached to any other dragon and quickly shortened the distance between them.

PERIL

Peril knew that she had to do something. Scarlet's arena had killed Clay! _Clay!_ And now Peril realised that she would kill the person responsible! Fjord was trying to make a break for it. The guards were busy putting the prisoners back on their pedestals, and nobody would hear him over the roar of the crowd. But Fjord couldn't escape Peril. Everybody else was distracted, but Fjord's bright white scales meant that he may as well have been waving a 'look this way' flag at anyone trying to spot him.

Peril swooped down and, before the ice dragon could even react, ran her talon along his snout and up his neck. He screamed, and was dead a second later.

It was a far better end than any killer of Clay should have had, but Peril was busy. All logic swept out her head, and she was overcome by emotional turmoil.

Anger... she wanted to burn... to kill...

Sadness... Clay was... Clay... Clay was dead...

But above all, an overwhelming desire to do what Clay would have wanted her to do. And what Clay would have wanted her to do was rescue his friends.

As Peril flew towards the broiling mass of dragons, a path cleared before her. The guards, who had been wrestling with the prisoners, created a circle around the escaping dragons, to let Peril make her move. The prisoners were frantic, trying to get away, but they were such a disorganised bundle that could have easily killed them all if she wanted to.

One, however, stood firm. Well, as firm as you got when you were doing what this young SeaWing was. The SeaWing looked about a year younger than Peril, the same age... as... Clay... and suddenly Peril realised that this dragon was one of Clay's friends, someone she wanted – needed - to rescue.

The dragon's face went from hope to fear as Peril came barrelling towards her, talons extended. She looked ready to bolt, but for some reason, she wasn't.

'Stop!' came an authoritative voice. 'Stop!'

But Peril continued. If the guards heard her plan then it would be ruined, and if she told the dragon a lie then she would fly away, and Peril might accidentally touch her.

But touch her Peril did not, and soon the copper wires chaining her to the other dragons were melted.

'Oh, three moons, we have to rescue Starflight!' cried the SeaWing, flying around like a maniac. She looked at the mass of prisoners. The guards, upon seeing what Peril had done, were swooping in to re-engage. They attacked the prisoners, but none of them were brave enough to even attempt attacking Peril.

TSUNAMI

Tsunami looked around. It was utter mayhem. Prisoners fighting guards, prisoners fighting prisoners, prisoners trying to get back on their platforms... nobody knew what to do.

But Tsunami knew her purpose. Find Starflight. Amongst the brawling mass of colour, there was a pitch-dark spot. It had to be the NightWing dragonet they all knew and hated for his obnoxiousness.

As Tsunami (and Peril, who was following her) flew towards her black friend, Tsunami quickly realised that he was completely freaking out. Dragons were fighting all around him, and his eyes were darting to and fro, looking for a way to escape. So when he saw Tsunami flying towards him, he was understandably relieved. Then he saw Peril behind her, and his face morphed into a mask of terror.

'Relax, Starflight. She's friendly. I think.'

'I take offence to that!' yelled Peril, assessing the situation and deciding that defending her honour was the appropriate course of action. She then realised that Starflight was being dragged away by the other prisoners, and swiftly melted his copper bands as well.

Starflight stared at Peril, eyes wide with fear.

'Relax. Like your blue friend over here said, I'm friendly.' Starflight was still shaking, thinking of Horizon being burnt alive. 'Is it about that dragon I killed earlier? Because that's kind of, you know, my JOB. Killing dragons.'

'Look, you,' snapped Tsunami. 'You're terrible at this 'not frightening anyone thing'.'You're better than I would expect from a murderer though.'

'Jeez, that was harsh. And anyway, I'm the one who's risking my life and livelihood to rescue you!' And suddenly, it dawned on Peril what she had done. Tsunami made some snide comment in the background, but all Peril could think about was the ramifications of what she had just done. _I betrayed my queen... I betrayed her... She'll hate me! And she'll destroy the black rocks... and then... and then... I'll die._ Peril froze, rigid in shock, and finally Tsunami realised that something was up.

'Um, hello? Pyrrhia to crazy flame dragon! Are you alright?

'No!' cried Peril, startled out of her shock. 'No, I am not alright! Queen Scarlet is going to KILL ME!'

'Um...' said Starflight timidly. 'How can she? You're a firescales! No weapon known to dragonkind can harm you!'

'I have to eat these special black rocks to keep me alive!' the fire dragon exclaimed. 'And I don't know how to find them! Only her majesty does! If she doesn't give them to me, I'll be dead! D-e-a-d dead!'

'Black rocks that a dragon needs to eat to survive? Fascinating! How did you find out? Queried Starflight, his scholarly senses taking over.

'Queen Scarlet told me,' was Peril's brash reply.

'Yes... but how did Queen Scarlet find out? Intensive study of past firescales dragons?'

'They're all thrown off a cliff to die at birth, actually,' commented Peril.

'Interesting... I wonder how Scarlet found out then.'

'Um, guys?' interjected Tsunami. 'Not that scientific analysis of dragons who burn stuff by touching it isn't fascinating, but we kind of need to rescue Glory and Sunny.'

'You're right, Tsunami! Let's go, quickly!' cried Starflight. 'To Sunny and Glory!'

'To Sunny and Glory!' chorused the SeaWing and SkyWing. And down they flew, to Scarlet's palace.

 **A/N So... first story. Please review, that would be awesome, and yeah... I hope you enjoyed it. Some characters (Starflight and Peril) might be a bit OOC, but I'll try my best.**

 **Appease the chickens.**

 **Goodbye.**


End file.
